Ectodermal Dysplasia Syndrome

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About

Ectodermal Dysplasia Syndromes (EDS) is a group of related conditions that causes the abnormal development of some combination of teeth, hair, nails, sweat glands and parts of the eye and ear during pregnancy. More than 150 conditions have been identified, and each syndrome usually involves a different combination of symptoms. EDS is diagnosed when a patient has 2 or more EDS symptoms.

Causes

EDS is a genetic disorder, which means it's caused by changes (mutations) in a gene(s). Genes, which are passed from parents to children, determine a person's traits, including appearance and growth. Mutated genes can be inherited from a parent, caused by environmental factors, or occur randomly.

EDS is caused by mutations to genes that control the ectoderm, the cells that eventually develop into skin, hair, nails, teeth, nerve cells, sweat glands, parts of the eye and ear, and parts of some other organs during pregnancy.

Impact

Because the ectoderm plays a role in development of so many body parts, patients with EDS may have a broad variety of symptoms, which range in severity. Symptoms often include: